johannes cleophas

Cricket and Cape Society is a critical and comprehensive historical examination of St Augustine Cricket Club. The club is used as a powerful lens to explore the intricate relationship between cricket, history and South African society.

Several South African cricket histories and biographies have emerged over the years; however, few cricket historical narratives has examined the relationship between local cricket and international history. With extensive archival research, oral histories and post-colonial theory, this book utilises a case-study approach to explore the relationship between race, class, gender, national belonging and cricket in South Africa. Set against the backdrop of urbanisation, Apartheid and shifting social structures, it examines how the game reflected and resisted broader imperial and post-Apartheid ideologies.

The club’s story becomes a powerful microcosm of South Africa’s contested histories, offering fresh insights into how sport both shapes and is shaped by the sociopolitical landscape.

This book is ideal for scholars and students of history, sociology, sports studies and African studies, as well as general readers interested in the cultural politics of sport.

Francois Johannes Cleophas is an associate professor in sport history at Stellenbosch University.